


That Smith & Wesson Baseball Cap

by Kay Holmes (kayalexholmes)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, Young!Sam, daddy!dean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-05
Updated: 2013-04-05
Packaged: 2017-12-07 12:39:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/748608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kayalexholmes/pseuds/Kay%20Holmes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean takes Ben to a baseball game for his 11th birthday. (this was supposed to be cute Daddy!Dean fluff, but it's much more angsty than originally intended. Oops.) IN PROGRESS.</p>
            </blockquote>





	That Smith & Wesson Baseball Cap

When Ben turned 11, Dean took him to a baseball game. Now, that might not seem like much to the average person, but to Dean it meant the world.  
For Dean, this baseball game was the first step towards... saving Ben, really. Saving him from all of Dean's tears, and all of Sam's missed birthdays, and all those elementary school summers spent at the shooting range. Saving him from _ever_ having to hold a gun in his life, and from constantly feeling responsible for everyone else, and from just... everything Dean regretted.  
Ben, of course, was thrilled beyond belief when Dean handed him those tickets and that 20 year old baseball cap. Sure, it may have read Smith  & Wesson, but it was _Dean's_ , and that's all Ben cared about.  
Lisa was going to join them, but at the last minute she decided to let Dean have his day. She'd seen how he was with him, how much he truly loved her son, and she was in complete confidence of his abilities. So, with a small smile, Dean pecked her on the cheek, ruffled Ben's hair, and led him out to his truck.  
"So, kid. You ever been to a baseball game?" Dean asked, glancing at Ben.  
"Nah."  
"Never?!?"  
"Never!"  
"My god, kiddo, you've completely missed out. I'm the best thing that's ever happened to you and your mom, you two have so much of _life_ to experience. Man."  
"Did your dad take you to a baseball game?" Ben's eyes reflected pure innocence, truly curious as to what Dean's dad was like. Dean swallowed.  
"I... he... no. He didn't. My first game was when I was fifteen."  
"And you went alone?"  
"Nah, I had Sammy." Another gulp.  
"What team??"  
"We lived in... where was it, Louisville? Yeah! That was it. A Louisville Bats game. Our motel was close enough to walk and I'd gotten some cash hustling... um, playing games, so off we went." Dean sighed contentedly, memories clouding over reality for a blissful minute. "It was awesome."  
Ben smiled, watching Deans eyes crinkle. He didn't smile much at home. Lisa and Ben had both learned exactly the right subjects to bring up when they wanted to see that spark in Dean's expression again, and sometimes Ben stumbled upon it by accident. It made Ben just as happy as it made Dean.  
They didn't say another word on the way to the stadium, cause Ben was afraid he'd shatter Dean's little bubble of bliss. He reached over and cranked the radio up, and the two of them blasted Def Leppard at full volume for the remainder of the half hour trip to Indianapolis.  
"Here you go, kid! Home of the Indiana Mustangs. I cannot believe that you guys live _this close_ and yet you've never even seen a game."  
Dean scoffed and put his arm around Ben's shoulders, leading him up to the gates.  
As the usher scanned and ripped their tickets, Dean was gripped with nostalgia. All of a sudden he was back at that 1994 Louisville Bats game, ushering Sam in just the way he was leading Ben in now. And Sam... Sam wore that same Smith  & Wesson baseball cap. He loved that thing, always stealing it off Dean's dresser and popping it on his head, so Dean finally just gave it to him. "It's for good behavior," he said. And the Lord should have seen the grin on that boy's face... it was as if Dean had just given him the keys to the entire world. He spent the next week and a half trying to do everything that he was physically capable of to repay Dean-- opening doors, cooking his breakfast, at one point even folding his clothes. And he wore that cap every day up until... up until the day he ran away from home.  
It wasn't the first time, or the second time, that Sam'd run away... no, this time it was real and serious and Sam knew what he was doing. Sam lived in an abandoned mobile home for probably three weeks... he'd even found himself a dog-- Bones. That was all Dean knew... Sam wouldn't talk about it. But just as Sam was about to walk out the door, he took a quick glance around the Bobby's dark house, and laid the cap down gently upon his goodbye note. Then one more deep breath and he was gone.  
Dean found the cap the next morning, being the first one awake. He was the first to read the note, and the first to truly realize how serious it was this time. He woke the whole house with his scream.  
"Hey, Ben..." Dean sniffed and rubbed his chin. "Here's a fiver-- go grab some popcorn, ok?"  
"Sure! Thanks Dean!"  
"I'll meet you right there okay? Don't wander off."  
Dean watched Dean's retreating back, amazed at how like Sam Ben was. He had all of Dean's tastes, and his preferences, but he had Sam's vulnerability and his kindness, and his compassion... all of that came from Lisa. Lisa's sweetness and constant positive attitude and completely inexplicable support of Dean, for which Dean was _so_ grateful.  
Sighing heavily, Dean rubbed his chin and wiped his eyes, and went to meet Ben at the popcorn stand.  
"Hey Dean! Did you know that baseball popcorn is, like, even _better_ than regular popcorn? I don't know, maybe it's the air or something, but this is _awesome!_ "  
Dean chuckled. "Oh, yeah, kiddo. And you know what?" Dean pulled out his wallet and extracted another fiver. "The nachos are even better. A plate of nachos, please," he said, turning to the food vendor.  
"Coming right up. That's a swell kid you got there, sir." the vendor smiled, and tipped his hat to Ben.  
Ben started to protest, but Dean put his arm around him and pulled him close. "Yessir, he is." he looked down at Ben with a world-shattering grin, and Ben mimicked it right back.


End file.
